Resort Thread Disney's Club Level (CL) Thread

[Maxie86]

GADisneyDad- Awesome room, thanks for posting pics, so nice that you were able to add another day. The YC/BC food offerings have been upgraded considerably. I like it better than RPC...except for afternoon tea...love the scones with cream...goes very nicely with a glass of champagne.

 

[cc1013]

Regarding the BC one-bedroom suite, my understanding after talking with the concierge is that all of them have the daybed and actually sleep 5 although the technical capacity is 4. This change was made during the last renovation.

GADisneyDad14's description of the room is consistent with what the concierge described to me and what's on the Disney website. Glass Slipper also did a room tour but the daybed and queen pull out sofabed locations were flipped in that tour. Either way, looks like 5 will fit, but Disney will only allow 4 unless the 5th is an infant (as in my case).

http://www.glassslipperconcierge.com/blog/detail/disneys-beach-club-resort-guest-rooms-new-look

 

[WDWKOOK]

Regarding the BC one-bedroom suite, my understanding after talking with the concierge is that all of them have the daybed and actually sleep 5 although the technical capacity is 4. This change was made during the last renovation.

GADisneyDad14's description of the room is consistent with what the concierge described to me and what's on the Disney website. Glass Slipper also did a room tour but the daybed and queen pull out sofabed locations were flipped in that tour. Either way, looks like 5 will fit, but Disney will only allow 4 unless the 5th is an infant (as in my case).

http://www.glassslipperconcierge.com/blog/detail/disneys-beach-club-resort-guest-rooms-new-look

I have no doubt that those who post to the DIS generally have more accurate information than the Disney websites. Cara's site has always had great information/photos of WDW CL rooms. I hope you have a great stay in December.

 

[TJA]

Looks like another vote here for BC CL over Poly CL? So maybe the amazing KKC view doesn't make-up for any lounge deficiencies? (BC and Poly CLs are the CLs I haven't tried or booked yet.)

I think you should really try to stay at both CL's! They are so different, so you'd get 2 totally different vibes. BC is very polished and upscale feeling, and the lounge is the "enclosed" kind without a view. There are some rooms that are quite a hike to the lounge (we've had a few of those rooms....). Poly is very tropical and laid-back feeling, and the lounge has that open view (I keep seeing GADisneyDad14's picture of the lounge at 6:00 am!). No matter where your room is, it will be only a short walk to the lounge. It's the food right now that is the biggest difference; however, Poly has recently improved afternoon snack offerings with the fruit and veggies, so maybe they are slowly upgrading? One can hope. It's mainly the side dishes that are pretty much non-existent at Poly, while the BC has many awesome side dishes each night. I'd say the 2 main hot appetizers are comparable.

Yes! The patio/balcony should reflect the size and price of the room! If the room is nice and spacious, then the patio/balcony should be able to accommodate all of the people in the room. At our deluxe CL room at BWI, only my DH and his laptop could fit on our balcony. I tried to squeeze outside with him and it just wasn't comfortable. Also, we've had rooms at BC with a standing-only balcony. Very disappointing to us because we value that relaxation time.

 

[AliceIn]

Reposting my review from the Poly Thread and adding some additional commentary at the end.

We got home last night after a very pleasant stay at the Poly. We had booked with the magical deal, and had a GV CL room. We requested a third floor room, and we got 3534, so we were happy that we had a balcony! The room itself was in great condition, no major wear and tear noted, except maybe the outlets - so loose! The clock having the two USB ports gave us guaranteed phone charges, so that was a lifesaver. The view from 3534 isn't spectacular, as it's the nearest GV room to the 3rd floor lounge. That said, it's not a bad view. We could see both pools, but there is a large tree. The upside of a tree is that our room felt entirely private! The convenience of being so close to the lounge was much appreciated. It was very easy to run to grab coffee or a snack and head back up to the room. Housekeeping did a good job cleaning our room before we came back for afternoon break, and getting turndown done after we left again for the evening. The turndown service was not as thorough as we had at other resorts. They don't do anything other than turn down the bed and refill towels. At the CR and BC, they'd turn the lights down, turn the TV to soothing music, and do a quick tidying of the room.

The Poly grounds are beautiful, and the staff that I interacted with were friendly and helpful. The Oasis and Volcano pool redesigns were very well done - everything looks beautiful. My kids loved swimming and spent quite a lot of time at the pool. I swam pretty much every day, though I wasn't as pleased with the pools. Some observations: the pool water is much too warm, and shade is very hard to come by. People are very rude about taking up spots the moment the pool opens and then disappearing for hours. We decided to spend the first half of the day enjoying the resort. We went down to the Oasis pool around 8:00 am, and families had already grabbed all of the cabanas. Usually with one person sitting in it, with all of the chairs and sofas covered with personal items. The same people would stake out the cabanas for the entire week, all day long. We managed to get a chair sitting in one when another family saw us and invited my daughter and I over. Back to our pool saga - the kids swam in the Oasis pool until 9, then we moved over to the main pool when it opened. We were able to get a couple of loungers under an umbrella. My husband and I settled in with some books while the kids played and swam. We'd also hop in to the pool for 5-10 minutes to cool off, then back to the loungers to relax. We were there from 9 until about lunch time. Other people came in around the same time we did. They took the umbrellas around us. Piled stuff on all the chairs around the umbrellas and then proceeded to leave. Only one family was back by noon. I felt so bad for the families with very small kids looking for shade, while unoccupied spots were "reserved." The Poly really needs to do something about it; either figure out a way to provide more shady areas, or police the area to see whether loungers are actually being used.

The club lounge was nice in that there is ample seating and the view is spectacular. The staff was very friendly with us. The food choices were meh. Snacks in the afternoon were identical every day. Fruit skewers, veggies in cups, dip, chips, goldfish, and spicy snack mix, and later on in the afternoon, cookies. The Poly snacks are not as good as what you get at the Contemporary, Beach Club or GF. Breakfast was the same every day. Croissants, bagels, mini muffins, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and toppings. The evening appetizers were pretty much a bust for us. I'm the only one who eats seafood in the family, and there was quite a bit of it at the Poly. Nothing really stood out to me as being terribly good. I ate a lot of the veggies and fruit. I did appreciate the size of the lounge and the fact that we could always find a seat at all services. We loved the other families in the lounge! My kids hit it off with some of the others in the lounge, and they had a blast. It was great meeting @GADisneyDad14 and his family! My daughter loved his kids!

While I liked the resort, I don't think the CL experience matches up to what we had at other resorts. The BC is probably the very best, followed by CR. The Poly beats the GF - even with lackluster food. The lounge view is fantastic, and the staff there was wonderful to us. We didn't have a great experience with the GF staff - they were just not friendly or welcoming.

Next year I think we go back to the BC - we really, really missed a good pool this visit!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@WDWKOOK Lol, no more nights for us. Have to get back to work. Sad trombone... I used an AP discount for the room which I think was 30%. Don't quote me on the exact dollars but I thought the rack rate was very reasonable compared to Poly CL TPV or GF RPC rack rates especially considering the size of the room - certainly not in the $1,000s like some "suites" I've seen out there.

I cannot believe Disney counts those as four-person rooms. I've never stayed in a Deluxe room so I don't have anything to compare the 1BR too, but seemed plenty big for five to me.

DS was the third person down the big slide in SAB this AM. Now we're at MCO waiting for a delayed flight. Another sad trombone! Actually, it's not sad. Been a great trip!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thank you thank you! We will have 5 in the room (me, DH, DMom and my 2 year old twin boys). We think the boys will still be in cribs and the concierge has indicated we could get two full sized cribs but just in case they transition to beds before the trip, I wanted to make sure I understood the bedding. Seems perfect! Hope you have an amazing stay!

Every family is different but I think it could be a good setup for you. The only potential negative I could see is that there's not a lot of privacy for the bathroom area. The area with the two sinks/mirror opens up directly into the "living room." The toilet/shower have a door, but as soon as you step out of that space you're pretty much exposed. Perfectly fine for two adults and two kids, for more than two adults, I guess it depends on how close you are. Good thing is you have the lounge to use as another space if needed while others are getting ready.

Here's what I mean... The vanity space is very open to the living room.


Here's a photo with the queen pulled out in the living room. The bathroom here is to the left of that Minnie/Mickey pic you see. The closet is that far door.


Hope you have a great trip!

 

[cc1013]

Every family is different but I think it could be a good setup for you. The only potential negative I could see is that there's not a lot of privacy for the bathroom area. The area with the two sinks/mirror opens up directly into the "living room." The toilet/shower have a door, but as soon as you step out of that space you're pretty much exposed. Perfectly fine for two adults and two kids, for more than two adults, I guess it depends on how close you are. Good thing is you have the lounge to use as another space if needed while others are getting ready.

Here's what I mean... The vanity space is very open to the living room.
View attachment 185263

Here's a photo with the queen pulled out in the living room. The bathroom here is to the left of that Minnie/Mickey pic you see. The closet is that far door.
View attachment 185264

Hope you have a great trip!

Thanks! It should be fine for us. DH, the kids (in cribs) and I will all stay in the bedroom with my DMom on the queen in the living room. We have shared rooms before so no issues there.

While it would be ideal to have another bathroom, what we have done before is use the bedroom to get dressed and/or the closed off part of the bathroom. It's actually better for us to have the vanity area separate because someone can be showering while another is getting ready. We all have robes, so no exposure issues, lol.

We thought of getting two rooms but it's worked out better for us on a past vacation to do a suite that way we are all guaranteed to be together. For example, if one of the kids is up while the other is still sleeping, the one that is awake can go out to grandma and leave the other sleeping. Besides, it was way cheaper to do it this way versus two regular rooms at BC.

When the kids are older, this will be more of a challenge but I'm hopeful it will work for now.

Hope you had an amazing trip and smoothe travel back home! Thanks again!

 

[mickeynut1]

Yes, it did. And I was one of the very few who actually loved the BC CL even before refurb! But now, post-refurb, not only is the lounge quite large and rooms very polished, but they also vamped up the food so now it is comparable to RPC food.

Sounds like BC CL has really changed for the better .

You're very right about the poor reviews and that's one of the reasons I wasn't feeling too bad that I couldn't get CL with the military rate. But others have told me that I should keep trying to upgrade because it's so much better now after the expansion.

I keep reading this as well. It seems BC CL has changed for the better .

The biggest hold-back for us nowadays is the fact that we can't be guaranteed a daybed and a cot just doesn't fit well in the room.

This is one of the reasons why we haven't returned to the BC. We not only love the large, spacious rooms of the Poly and GF, but having a guaranteed daybed at those resorts is great. We are only a family of 4 so a daybed isn't a necessity, but it is a nice perk .

Just left yesterday after a week long BC CL stay. Had an awesome week and CL stay.

Glad you had a great trip and enjoyed BC CL .

We are staying at BC for the first time in a one-bedroom suite in December.

Hope you have a great trip!

Couple more if you don't mind...

Don't mind at all.....love all the pics .

GADisneyDad -- thanks for all the wonderful pics. I'm glad you are enjoying the room, the resort, and the lounge. Our March trip was a split between BC CL and GF RPC and we actually thought the food at the BC was comparable or better than what we had at the GF. This is a HUGE change from our last stay there, and I also agree that the BC food blows the Poly food out of the water (love the Poly views, though). Have a great last day!

Glad to hear BC CL has changed for the better. I'm not sure if BC CL will ever be on our list to try, but it is nice to see that things are better .

Generally, CL one bedrooms are in the $1,000s, but BC's is priced almost the same as a Standard RPC room at GF.

This is interesting! Wonder how often (if ever) BC CL one bedrooms are offered under GP discounts .

Reposting my review from the Poly Thread and adding some additional commentary at the end.

While I liked the resort, I don't think the CL experience matches up to what we had at other resorts. The BC is probably the very best, followed by CR. The Poly beats the GF - even with lackluster food. The lounge view is fantastic, and the staff there was wonderful to us. We didn't have a great experience with the GF staff - they were just not friendly or welcoming.

Thanks for your review. I'm sorry Poly CL wasn't what you've experienced at the BC and CR, but glad you had a nice stay and found the view and CL staff great .

 

[TJA]

@GADisneyDad14 your BC rooms looks awesome -- thanks for all the great pictures and for taking us along on your trip. I hope BC CL was as special to your family as it was to ours for many years. Sounds like you had a great time, and we'll look forward to hearing more after you return home. Safe travels!

 

[bookluvingbabe]

Regarding the BC one-bedroom suite, my understanding after talking with the concierge is that all of them have the daybed and actually sleep 5 although the technical capacity is 4. This change was made during the last renovation.

GADisneyDad14's description of the room is consistent with what the concierge described to me and what's on the Disney website. Glass Slipper also did a room tour but the daybed and queen pull out sofabed locations were flipped in that tour. Either way, looks like 5 will fit, but Disney will only allow 4 unless the 5th is an infant (as in my case).

http://www.glassslipperconcierge.com/blog/detail/disneys-beach-club-resort-guest-rooms-new-look

Pounding head against wall. Last summer, two days before we checked in, a CM called and asked if we would be willing to switch to a one bedroom suite. I asked if there were two beds and was told there was just one. As I did not want to spend 4 nights being kicked by DS, I passed. Sigh...

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

@DisneyFansInNYC - Just wanted to say your videos are amazing, what an incredibly way to create memories!

Thank you so much. Our middle DD was 15 years old at the time of the first video and she was really into making videos - so she really did most of them. I do help but she is the mastermind. We have so much fun planning for the trips - by picking songs and deciding what lyrics we should act out.

Thank you so much for your great pictures of the Poly. We get there in less than a month and we can't wait to get there. Our family loves all the pictures. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

I will caveat that I *think* there are other wings/corridors that have 1BR Suites so don't take my word that they are all configured the same (I suspect they are, but I just don't know). In my room, the twin is in the bedroom and the larger sleeper sofa (queen I guess) is in the other room.

That is a great room. We love the BC CL lounge much better than the Poly - but we love the Poly's grounds. That is a great split - Poly and BC. Enjoy!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi folks! Sorry this is long. Back home from 7 nights at Poly CL (TPV) and 1 night at BC CL. I've been posting several pics along the way, hope they were useful. I may have to try a trip report one of these days. Wanted to share a few thoughts/observations on our CL experiences this time around, the good and not so good. As always, this is only our perspective. There are so many differences in CLs and resorts I'm a firm believer that you should take everything you read here with a grain of salt until you have a chance to experience a particular resort or CL for yourself. So here we go...

The Team - Me, DW, DS(6), DD(turned 2 the day we arrived). DW and DD only stayed Saturday-Wednesday, which we had purposely planned. Maybe not a popular opinion but we think 2 is a little on the young side to really get your "money's worth" at WDW. Ride restraints, naps, and bedtimes just get in the way too much (yes, I said it). The plan was to spend the first half of the week together enjoying everything we could do as a family - a lot of MK and resort/pool time. Boy's trip for the second half (we've done this before and enjoy vacationing this way, although I guess it's unorthodox). I'm giving this detail because I think it's important to view my comments in the context of parents with children of our age.

Poly CL -

• Poly CL will always be popular with us - location, location, location. I really love the Poly and enjoy everything they have done there over the last few years. The addition of the Oasis Pool is great and the quick walk from Hawaii to both pools will always keep us coming back.
• We were in a TPV room - my requests were "third floor first priority, close to the lounge second priority." We got third floor, 3516, third room from the end opposite the lounge. I was a little bummed about this at first (we tend to use the lounge frequently for a quick sip of water, coffee, beer, etc) but Hawaii just isn't that big. 90 steps door to lounge.
• CL CM's were quite pleasant, better than expected. I've had roller coaster experiences from trip to trip at Poly - some great, some average, and once I swore I'd never go back. This time around everyone seemed to be in good spirits, in general. It was great seeing familiar faces in the lounge and to be remembered by many of them.
• Except...at check-in we were going through the motions, chatting with the CM about how we were having a cake delivered to celebrate DD's birthday later that day, etc. Ahem...cough, cough....daughter's birthday...today...ahem. Had to eventually just ask for a birthday button. Then, just like at GF RPC in Feb (for my birthday), CM just gives me the button and sharpie to do it myself. I swear we are not picky people and don't really expect/ask for much at all, but really? C'mon!
  
• I posted a few days ago we were having great Mousekeeping. I've had small gripes about room cleanliness and larger gripes about really, really late cleanings before. Had no issues this time and very early room cleanings. I guess towel animals are back on? Is that official/unofficial?
• No greeters out front at all anymore. No CMs with iPads, only the bell person. I posted about my arrival experience several pages ago. Not particularly magical.
• I have to admit, I left this trip really down on the Poly CL food offerings. It's just the same mediocre food that's been on the rotation for years. Now that I've seen more of what places like GF and BC offer in their CLs, Poly is just really a step down - it's really amazing how different they all are! It's not so bad that we wouldn't come here (CL for us is not all about the food), but it's certainly something we'll be remembering in the future as the kids get older.
• Requested and was granted a late check-out (1PM) by a CL CM at the first floor desk, only to be barked at by a Mousekeeping manager-looking CM when she saw us going in our room at 11:45 claiming we weren't on the list and had to get out now. I thought it was bold to argue with a guest about this.
• At the end of the day, it all comes back to location. Nothing will give you the Disney feels more than that view from the lounge and seeing the castle whenever you want. The buzz of the Seven Seas Lagoon is palpable and you're really in the center of it all. Pics don't do it justice.

BC CL -

• Ok, only one night here so can't really give a fair review, but boy is this place an eye-opening experience after being at Poly for 7 nights.
• Excellent food with plentiful options. CMs everywhere bussing tables and replenishing food.
• Lounge was so clean! In the Poly CL lounge, if your kid drops a goldfish and steps on it, the crumbs tend to "fit in" and it's not the end of the world. You drop crumbs in this lounge and you feel bad!
  
• Almost had a bit of a stuffy RPC feel to it, I have to say. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the vibe.
• From my 24 hour experience (admittedly not a full body of work), the food here wins out over RPC hands down. I was at RPC in Feb at the height of the "cutbacks" so maybe I didn't get a full experience. It's certainly along the same level, but I'd give the nod to BC both for food and CM service.
• This was the first CL I've stayed where the lounge closed at points during the day. Didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, it's just "different."
• Greeters with iPads here! I don't understand Disney, why would they be here but not at a flagship resort like Polynesian? I guess because they can get away with it.
• I was in Room 1647 which is a "1-BR Suite with CL Access" room. I understand some of these rooms are very far from the lounge but this room was VERY close. A short walk down a hallway, up the elevator, and you're there. Less steps than my walk to the Poly lounge frankly.

Lessons Learned (not necessarily CL related) -

• Next time we stay 7+ nights, we will almost certainly do a split stay. I grew a little tired of Poly half way through the week. I had had my fill and wanted to move on. Some of this could just be that we've stayed there a bunch. I could see a Poly/BC or Poly/BWI split being very attractive for our style.
• We booked this trip 50 days out. I had zero problems securing adequate FP's or dining reservations. Although we tend to be 40% planned, 60% go with the flow, so that makes it a bit easier. Regardless, last minute planning can certainly be done without too many headaches.
• Loved Animal Kingdom at night. I know the Jungle book thing got poor reviews but I enjoyed it. First time at AK at night (beautiful!) and the place was pretty empty. Everything was a walk on. Ended up going back for a second night we liked it so much.
• Did the paid Early Morning Magic thing at MK one morning. Highly, highly recommend this too if you're into that kind of thing. With a little one in the July heat, this was a great way to experience MK.
• First time we've stayed in the middle of July - been spoiled by fall and early spring trips before. Now that DS starts regular school we're going to have to migrate to more crowded times like this. I thought the crowds were manageable but certainly heavier than we're used to. It did take away a bit from our overall enjoyment of the trip.
• Pools at Poly and BC were very warm.... Like hot tub warm!
• I missed the GF texting service. That was really a nice feature in Feb. I could see that being a total headache to run operationally for Disney, but darn was it nice.

Despite any negatives above, we had a wonderful trip! The first part with all four of us was great and we had some wonderful "first trip" moments. The second part was fantastic and we really hit the parks pretty hard. We were having such fun that's why we tacked on the extra night.

Sorry again for the length. Happy to answer any questions if needed! Now off to start thinking about our next trip. . Thanks for reading.

 

[rcraw45425]

Hi folks! Sorry this is long. Back home from 7 nights at Poly CL (TPV) and 1 night at BC CL. I've been posting several pics along the way, hope they were useful. I may have to try a trip report one of these days. Wanted to share a few thoughts/observations on our CL experiences this time around, the good and not so good. As always, this is only our perspective. There are so many differences in CLs and resorts I'm a firm believer that you should take everything you read here with a grain of salt until you have a chance to experience a particular resort or CL for yourself. So here we go...

The Team - Me, DW, DS(6), DD(turned 2 the day we arrived). DW and DD only stayed Saturday-Wednesday, which we had purposely planned. Maybe not a popular opinion but we think 2 is a little on the young side to really get your "money's worth" at WDW. Ride restraints, naps, and bedtimes just get in the way too much (yes, I said it). The plan was to spend the first half of the week together enjoying everything we could do as a family - a lot of MK and resort/pool time. Boy's trip for the second half (we've done this before and enjoy vacationing this way, although I guess it's unorthodox). I'm giving this detail because I think it's important to view my comments in the context of parents with children of our age.

Poly CL -

• Poly CL will always be popular with us - location, location, location. I really love the Poly and enjoy everything they have done there over the last few years. The addition of the Oasis Pool is great and the quick walk from Hawaii to both pools will always keep us coming back.
• We were in a TPV room - my requests were "third floor first priority, close to the lounge second priority." We got third floor, 3516, third room from the end opposite the lounge. I was a little bummed about this at first (we tend to use the lounge frequently for a quick sip of water, coffee, beer, etc) but Hawaii just isn't that big. 90 steps door to lounge.
• CL CM's were quite pleasant, better than expected. I've had roller coaster experiences from trip to trip at Poly - some great, some average, and once I swore I'd never go back. This time around everyone seemed to be in good spirits, in general. It was great seeing familiar faces in the lounge and to be remembered by many of them.
• Except...at check-in we were going through the motions, chatting with the CM about how we were having a cake delivered to celebrate DD's birthday later that day, etc. Ahem...cough, cough....daughter's birthday...today...ahem. Had to eventually just ask for a birthday button. Then, just like at GF RPC in Feb (for my birthday), CM just gives me the button and sharpie to do it myself. I swear we are not picky people and don't really expect/ask for much at all, but really? C'mon!
  
• I posted a few days ago we were having great Mousekeeping. I've had small gripes about room cleanliness and larger gripes about really, really late cleanings before. Had no issues this time and very early room cleanings. I guess towel animals are back on? Is that official/unofficial?
• No greeters out front at all anymore. No CMs with iPads, only the bell person. I posted about my arrival experience several pages ago. Not particularly magical.
• I have to admit, I left this trip really down on the Poly CL food offerings. It's just the same mediocre food that's been on the rotation for years. Now that I've seen more of what places like GF and BC offer in their CLs, Poly is just really a step down - it's really amazing how different they all are! It's not so bad that we wouldn't come here (CL for us is now all about the food), but it's certainly something we'll be remembering in the future as the kids get older.
• Requested and was granted a late check-out (1PM) by a CL CM at the first floor desk, only to be barked at by a Mousekeeping manager-looking CM when she saw us going in our room at 11:45 claiming we weren't on the list and had to get out now. I thought it was bold to argue with a guest about this.
• At the end of the day, it all comes back to location. Nothing will give you the Disney feels more than that view from the lounge and seeing the castle whenever you want. The buzz of the Seven Seas Lagoon is palpable and you're really in the center of it all. Pics don't do it justice.

BC CL -

• Ok, only one night here so can't really give a fair review, but boy is this place an eye-opening experience after being at Poly for 7 nights.
• Excellent food with plentiful options. CMs everywhere bussing tables and replenishing food.
• Lounge was so clean! In the Poly CL lounge, if your kid drops a goldfish and steps on it, the crumbs tend to "fit in" and it's not the end of the world. You drop crumbs in this lounge and you feel bad!
  
• Almost had a bit of a stuffy RPC feel to it, I have to say. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the vibe.
• From my 24 hour experience (admittedly not a full body of work), the food here wins out over RPC hands down. I was at RPC in Feb at the height of the "cutbacks" so maybe I didn't get a full experience. It's certainly along the same level, but I'd give the nod to BC both for food and CM service.
• This was the first CL I've stayed where the lounge closed at points during the day. Didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, it's just "different."
• Greeters with iPads here! I don't understand Disney, why would they be here but not at a flagship resort like Polynesian? I guess because they can get away with it.
• I was in Room 1647 which is a "1-BR Suite with CL Access" room. I understand some of these rooms are very far from the lounge but this room was VERY close. A short walk down a hallway, up the elevator, and you're there. Less steps than my walk to the Poly lounge frankly.

Lessons Learned (not necessarily CL related) -

• Next time we stay 7+ nights, we will almost certainly do a split stay. I grew a little tired of Poly half way through the week. I had had my fill and wanted to move on. Some of this could just be that we've stayed there a bunch. I could see a Poly/BC or Poly/BWI split being very attractive for our style.
• We booked this trip 50 days out. I had zero problems securing adequate FP's or dining reservations. Although we tend to be 40% planned, 60% go with the flow, so that makes it a bit easier. Regardless, last minute planning can certainly be done without too many headaches.
• Loved Animal Kingdom at night. I know the Jungle book thing got poor reviews but I enjoyed it. First time at AK at night (beautiful!) and the place was pretty empty. Everything was a walk on. Ended up going back for a second night we liked it so much.
• Did the paid Early Morning Magic thing at MK one morning. Highly, highly recommend this too if you're into that kind of thing. With a little one in the July heat, this was a great way to experience MK.
• First time we've stayed in the middle of July - been spoiled by fall and early spring trips before. Now that DS starts regular school we're going to have to migrate to more crowded times like this. I thought the crowds were manageable but certainly heavier than we're used to. It did take away a bit from our overall enjoyment of the trip.
• Pools at Poly and BC were very warm.... Like hot tub warm!
• I missed the GF texting service. That was really a nice feature in Feb. I could see that being a total headache to run operationally for Disney, but darn was it nice.

Despite any negatives above, we had a wonderful trip! The first part with all four of us was great and we had some wonderful "first trip" moments. The second part was fantastic and we really hit the parks pretty hard. We were having such fun that's why we tacked on the extra night.

Sorry again for the length. Happy to answer any questions if needed! Now off to start thinking about our next trip. . Thanks for reading.

Your Poly CL stay sounds similar to ours last September. Since then I stayed regular twice and honestly didn't miss the Club feeling. The food was really skimpy, although I did enjoy the hummus that they had then. In contrast our BWI CL stay was quiet, and the lounge offerings were more plentiful, although we didn't take full advantage of them. The big minus for us with BWI CL was, like you, my requests were simple. I asked for close to lobby and elevator. We were literally almost as far away from both as possible, one room away from the end of the CL hallway, by the stairs. By the stairs, great, right? Easy exit. Not. Easy exit but yo have to completely backtrack to lobby area to exit onto Boardwalk or out to the bus stop. For this reason (and the $!50+ extra per night over standard room) I changed my October ressie to standard view standard room. For the $300 saved I can buy a lot of snacks and sodas for my college girls!

 

[Maxie86]

GADisneyDad: Glad you had a nice trip. How special to have some family time and alone time with your DS. I love a MK resort EP resort split...usually GF/YC. This trip is a GF/Poly split...you can blame BlueSkies for that. It's been five years since we stayed at the Poly and am really looking forward to it... with lowered expectations...thanks for your honest review. I agree with the food offerings at the YC/BC. Other resorts have upped their food offerings considerably...the Poly and GF have gone down.

 

[mrsap]

Hi folks!

Thanks for your very detailed report! Can you list some of the hot appetizers you experienced at Poly CL? I'd appreciate it! Thanks!!!!

Also, you mentioned no one was outside to greet you. Did you go straight to the Hawaii building or continued onto the main check in desk? Thanks again!!

 

[Eastern]

Your Poly CL stay sounds similar to ours last September. Since then I stayed regular twice and honestly didn't miss the Club feeling. The food was really skimpy, although I did enjoy the hummus that they had then. In contrast our BWI CL stay was quiet, and the lounge offerings were more plentiful, although we didn't take full advantage of them. The big minus for us with BWI CL was, like you, my requests were simple. I asked for close to lobby and elevator. We were literally almost as far away from both as possible, one room away from the end of the CL hallway, by the stairs. By the stairs, great, right? Easy exit. Not. Easy exit but yo have to completely backtrack to lobby area to exit onto Boardwalk or out to the bus stop. For this reason (and the $!50+ extra per night over standard room) I changed my October ressie to standard view standard room. For the $300 saved I can buy a lot of snacks and sodas for my college girls!

And your experience sounds similar to mine at CR this past January. I asked for 'near the elevators', and I was put in the last room at the end of the hall. I would have waited for the next available room, but that person had been given an extended checkout of 4pm? I have never heard of that before! Usually they will offer me 12 pm or nothing at all.

Also thought the CL food was very skimpy. Made me feel like, going forward, I would no longer book CL. Maybe they heard the complaints because a lot of people are coming back saying the food and service at the various CLs has been great.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi folks! Sorry this is long. Back home from 7 nights at Poly CL (TPV) and 1 night at BC CL. I've been posting several pics along the way, hope they were useful. I may have to try a trip report one of these days. Wanted to share a few thoughts/observations on our CL experiences this time around, the good and not so good. As always, this is only our perspective. There are so many differences in CLs and resorts I'm a firm believer that you should take everything you read here with a grain of salt until you have a chance to experience a particular resort or CL for yourself.Ok, only one night here so can't really give a fair review, but boy is this place an eye-opening experience after being at Poly for 7 nights.

Despite any negatives above, we had a wonderful trip! The first part with all four of us was great and we had some wonderful "first trip" moments. The second part was fantastic and we really hit the parks pretty hard. We were having such fun that's why we tacked on the extra night.

Sorry again for the length. Happy to answer any questions if needed! Now off to start thinking about our next trip. . Thanks for reading.

Thanks for your review and for posting pics during your stay. Glad you enjoyed trying BC CL. Enjoy planning the next trip .

 

[HBGdancermom]

Just got the guest list updated with the PMs I have gotten so far. If anyone else needs to be added just send me a message and I'll do that today. We leave for WDW tomorrow morning so I'll be MIA for the next week.

Have a great trip!!!

Hi folks! Sorry this is long. Back home from 7 nights at Poly CL (TPV) and 1 night at BC CL. I've been posting several pics along the way, hope they were useful. I may have to try a trip report one of these days. Wanted to share a few thoughts/observations on our CL experiences this time around, the good and not so good. As always, this is only our perspective. There are so many differences in CLs and resorts I'm a firm believer that you should take everything you read here with a grain of salt until you have a chance to experience a particular resort or CL for yourself. So here we go...

The Team - Me, DW, DS(6), DD(turned 2 the day we arrived). DW and DD only stayed Saturday-Wednesday, which we had purposely planned. Maybe not a popular opinion but we think 2 is a little on the young side to really get your "money's worth" at WDW. Ride restraints, naps, and bedtimes just get in the way too much (yes, I said it). The plan was to spend the first half of the week together enjoying everything we could do as a family - a lot of MK and resort/pool time. Boy's trip for the second half (we've done this before and enjoy vacationing this way, although I guess it's unorthodox). I'm giving this detail because I think it's important to view my comments in the context of parents with children of our age.

Poly CL -

• Poly CL will always be popular with us - location, location, location. I really love the Poly and enjoy everything they have done there over the last few years. The addition of the Oasis Pool is great and the quick walk from Hawaii to both pools will always keep us coming back.
• We were in a TPV room - my requests were "third floor first priority, close to the lounge second priority." We got third floor, 3516, third room from the end opposite the lounge. I was a little bummed about this at first (we tend to use the lounge frequently for a quick sip of water, coffee, beer, etc) but Hawaii just isn't that big. 90 steps door to lounge.
• CL CM's were quite pleasant, better than expected. I've had roller coaster experiences from trip to trip at Poly - some great, some average, and once I swore I'd never go back. This time around everyone seemed to be in good spirits, in general. It was great seeing familiar faces in the lounge and to be remembered by many of them.
• Except...at check-in we were going through the motions, chatting with the CM about how we were having a cake delivered to celebrate DD's birthday later that day, etc. Ahem...cough, cough....daughter's birthday...today...ahem. Had to eventually just ask for a birthday button. Then, just like at GF RPC in Feb (for my birthday), CM just gives me the button and sharpie to do it myself. I swear we are not picky people and don't really expect/ask for much at all, but really? C'mon!
  
• I posted a few days ago we were having great Mousekeeping. I've had small gripes about room cleanliness and larger gripes about really, really late cleanings before. Had no issues this time and very early room cleanings. I guess towel animals are back on? Is that official/unofficial?
• No greeters out front at all anymore. No CMs with iPads, only the bell person. I posted about my arrival experience several pages ago. Not particularly magical.
• I have to admit, I left this trip really down on the Poly CL food offerings. It's just the same mediocre food that's been on the rotation for years. Now that I've seen more of what places like GF and BC offer in their CLs, Poly is just really a step down - it's really amazing how different they all are! It's not so bad that we wouldn't come here (CL for us is now all about the food), but it's certainly something we'll be remembering in the future as the kids get older.
• Requested and was granted a late check-out (1PM) by a CL CM at the first floor desk, only to be barked at by a Mousekeeping manager-looking CM when she saw us going in our room at 11:45 claiming we weren't on the list and had to get out now. I thought it was bold to argue with a guest about this.
• At the end of the day, it all comes back to location. Nothing will give you the Disney feels more than that view from the lounge and seeing the castle whenever you want. The buzz of the Seven Seas Lagoon is palpable and you're really in the center of it all. Pics don't do it justice.

BC CL -

• Ok, only one night here so can't really give a fair review, but boy is this place an eye-opening experience after being at Poly for 7 nights.
• Excellent food with plentiful options. CMs everywhere bussing tables and replenishing food.
• Lounge was so clean! In the Poly CL lounge, if your kid drops a goldfish and steps on it, the crumbs tend to "fit in" and it's not the end of the world. You drop crumbs in this lounge and you feel bad!
  
• Almost had a bit of a stuffy RPC feel to it, I have to say. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the vibe.
• From my 24 hour experience (admittedly not a full body of work), the food here wins out over RPC hands down. I was at RPC in Feb at the height of the "cutbacks" so maybe I didn't get a full experience. It's certainly along the same level, but I'd give the nod to BC both for food and CM service.
• This was the first CL I've stayed where the lounge closed at points during the day. Didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, it's just "different."
• Greeters with iPads here! I don't understand Disney, why would they be here but not at a flagship resort like Polynesian? I guess because they can get away with it.
• I was in Room 1647 which is a "1-BR Suite with CL Access" room. I understand some of these rooms are very far from the lounge but this room was VERY close. A short walk down a hallway, up the elevator, and you're there. Less steps than my walk to the Poly lounge frankly.

Lessons Learned (not necessarily CL related) -

• Next time we stay 7+ nights, we will almost certainly do a split stay. I grew a little tired of Poly half way through the week. I had had my fill and wanted to move on. Some of this could just be that we've stayed there a bunch. I could see a Poly/BC or Poly/BWI split being very attractive for our style.
• We booked this trip 50 days out. I had zero problems securing adequate FP's or dining reservations. Although we tend to be 40% planned, 60% go with the flow, so that makes it a bit easier. Regardless, last minute planning can certainly be done without too many headaches.
• Loved Animal Kingdom at night. I know the Jungle book thing got poor reviews but I enjoyed it. First time at AK at night (beautiful!) and the place was pretty empty. Everything was a walk on. Ended up going back for a second night we liked it so much.
• Did the paid Early Morning Magic thing at MK one morning. Highly, highly recommend this too if you're into that kind of thing. With a little one in the July heat, this was a great way to experience MK.
• First time we've stayed in the middle of July - been spoiled by fall and early spring trips before. Now that DS starts regular school we're going to have to migrate to more crowded times like this. I thought the crowds were manageable but certainly heavier than we're used to. It did take away a bit from our overall enjoyment of the trip.
• Pools at Poly and BC were very warm.... Like hot tub warm!
• I missed the GF texting service. That was really a nice feature in Feb. I could see that being a total headache to run operationally for Disney, but darn was it nice.

Despite any negatives above, we had a wonderful trip! The first part with all four of us was great and we had some wonderful "first trip" moments. The second part was fantastic and we really hit the parks pretty hard. We were having such fun that's why we tacked on the extra night.

Sorry again for the length. Happy to answer any questions if needed! Now off to start thinking about our next trip. . Thanks for reading.

So glad you had a great trip! We love BC CL since the reno. My kids are obsessed with the SAB too!